Wings of a raven
by redcristal
Summary: Xover:Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Supernatural,Black butler,Earl and Fairy.What if Sam sold his soul in exchange for revenge towards the demons who hunted his family?If angry Dawn made a wish and send her sister to Victorian England era? What if...?
1. Chapter 1

_**WINGS OF A RAVEN**_

Disclaimer: _Hakushaku to Yōsei__ (_Earl and Fairy) belong to Mizue Tani, _Kuroshitsuji _(Black butler) belongs to Yana Toboso. Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to J. Whedon and Supernatural belongs to E. Kripke. There are also mentions of the characters/places and events from BtVS novel Blood and fog written by Nancy Holder.

_**Author's notes**: While most of this story will be placed in Victorian era since Black Butler is main crossover with Buffy being stuck in 18th century. This story starts with Supernatural - All Hell breaks Loose 1&2 (with appearance of Buffy (BtVS) and Sebastian Michaelis (Black butler). Then it switches to BtVS – episode Smashed._

_**Summary**: What if Sam sold his soul in exchange for his brothers safety and revenge towards the demons who hunted Winchester family? What if Buffy saw trough Spike's fake pain after he hit her in Smashed? What if she seeks Tara's help imminently after that? What if angry Dawn made a wish which send her sister to Victorian England era? _

BETA NEEDED!

_Now on to the story:_

_**May 10, 2007 South Dakota**_

Night had fallen on the small town of Cold Oak, South Dakota. What made this small town different from any other was that it was completely uninhabited for a number of years and no human or animal stepped within its borders. Until recently, this month to be precise, young people started to appear out of thin air. This was interesting enough, because over the course of a few days, one of them would kill all others by bending a demon to their will.

The young woman was so involved in this ability that she failed to realize that she was being watched by a raven. Under the watchful eyes of that bird a whole drama unravelled by the arrival of a young man named Samuel Winchester.

It watched how he tried to help the others, how he was taunted by Azazel, how he managed to defeat his former comrade Jake.

It watched the arrival of his older brother.

It watched.

It waited.

For a moment when it would finally make contact.

SPN/BTVS/BLACKBUTLER

Dean and Bobby ran through the thick foliage of a forest to finally reach their destination. Quickly turning a corner around the wooden building, Dean spotted Sam standing shakily over something.

A person?

Maybe?

Dean smiled when he ran toward him, that's my brother he thought, and then called to him to get his attention.

"Sam!"

Sam looked up to see his brother and Bobby rushing towards him. He dropped the knife absent mindedly to the ground and started, painfully, moving towards his running relative and family friend.

Dean's relief was short lived when he saw the person his brother was standing over before, slowly rise to their feet while holding Sam's discarded knife.

"Sam! Look out!" he yells a warning but it was too late, as a man lunged toward Sam stabbing him in the lower back and giving the blade a vicious twist, creating a massive wound. He then turned and bolted into the night, with Bobby hot on his heels.

Dean slides to the ground in front of Sam, catching his brother who fell to his knees.

"Sam!" Dean yells grabbing Sam's clothes trying to support him, trying to keep him conscious, trying to keep him from dying.

But Sam's brown haired head slumps forward, he is drawing shallow breaths and his green eyes, the colour that dean shares, their mom's eyes, are closed.

"Wohaa! Sam, Come on Sammy!"

Dean's hands slid around to the wound feeling the hot blood seeping through the clothes. Withdrawing the hand he stared at the blood that covered his palm, like it wasn't a part of his body, but something alien.

He lowered Sam to the ground and grabbed his face.

"Sammy, Sam! Hey, listen to me, we are going to patch you up, okay... You'll be as good as new. Huh?" he lightly shakes Sam and finally is rewarded when Sam's eyes open. He looked into his brother's pain filled eyes.

Dean smiles, "I'm going to take care of you. Ya hear Sammy. I'm going to take care of you. It's my job, right, to watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother."

Sam's eyes were slowly loosing their focus, the image of his brother, Dean, blurring. Feeling cold Sam's eyes slid closed, his ears ringing with Dean's desperate calls.

"Sam... Sam... Sam! Sammy! (Sam's eyes close and his body slumps forward) No.. no-n-n-n-n-no. Oh god... Oh god... Sam!"

SPNBTVSBLACKBUTLER

Sam was floating on a plane of pitch black, with white feathers falling all around him; he tilted his head back when he heard the sound of flapping wings just in time to see a raven as it landed on a dying branch before him. Frowning, questions welled up in his mind:

"Wasn't I stabbed?"

"Am I dead?"

"What happened?"

"Where is this?"

"Where is Dean?"

A chuckle interrupted his thoughts, and only then he realized that he was talking out loud. Looking around him, he saw no one, no one but the raven sitting on the branch watching him. He jumped when a human voice came from the birds opened beak.

"To answer your questions." A rich baritone sounded, making him shiver at the amusement that he could clearly hear from that voice. "You are caught between life and death, well you are more dead than alive. As for you brother he is on the way to crossroads to make a deal for you to be brought back to life." Raven informed him.

Sam's eyes widened. "What!" he yelped.

Raven's head tilted to the side, watching him now with only one black eye. "No need to shout, I am not deaf you know."

"Who or what are you?" Sam asked, this was no ordinary bird. Who knows maybe that myth of crows or was it ravens bringing people back from the dead was true, and Hollywood made right portrait of that myth.

"Hmm, put it simply I am a demon and you summoned me." The bird informed him.

A demon! Summoned! Sam's thoughts whirled.

"What I haven't..." he objected. But was stopped when the raven shrugged with its wings. Shrugged! How utterly bizarre that was.

"Oh yes, if you hadn't I wouldn't be here."

"What do you want?"

"World peace?" Comes sardonic replay, "What do you think? Your soul. Idiot."

A pause and when Sam opened his mouth to refuse, the raven, again, started to speak; now watching him with both eyes.

"World peace does come with me eating you soul, since you being dead prevents Lucifer escaping from his ah so called secure prison." Last part came with a disgusted sneer at the fallen angel's name.

"Lucifer?" Sam's eyes widened yet again, he was really developing a new habit, he thought, but considering he was talking to a bird, which was apparently a demon, who wants to eat his soul, and the fact that he himself was flouting along with white feathers and actually considering in making that Faustian bargain.

A sigh tore through the bird's beak. Which was another bizarre thing, Sam decided.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of that thing before?" bird grumbled.

Sam nodded then gave a light shrug. "I did, but I thought you demons would worship him and all?"

"It shows how little you know; besides who says I will eat your soul immediately. I am going to eat it when your revenge is fulfilled and your brother is safe. I will be your sword or better put your gun and shield. So what will it be? Do we have a contract?"

"Are you lying?" he asks the bird.

"Would you believe me if I said I never lie to the person I made a contact with?"

Sam ponders for a moment then answers truthfully. "No"

"Well then don't ask unnecessary questions. By refusing your faith just once, you will be forever obstructed from passing through God's gate." The bird clarified again. Then its gaze became more intent, more piercing.

"Once again I ask, doust thou desire a contract?"

Sam thought for a moment. Was his revenge worth more that his soul. Or his brother safety?

Dean was on his way to the crossroads. If this demon is telling the truth. Making a decision, Sam nodded.

"Yes."

The white feathers that had been falling down since Sam arrived in this strange place fell upward now, turning from white to black obstructing Sam's view of the raven and its branch, and then the feathers stopped and faded from Sam's view, replaced by a mist. And Sam could suddenly stand up, he wasn't flouting anymore. Sensing movement he turned to see a figure in the mist, a figure that was walking closer and closer. It finally revealed a tall, young adult male with burgundy red eyes on a pale face that could belong to a model, dressed in an outfit consisting of black trousers, tailcoat, vest, and a tie.

SPNBTVSBLACKBUTLER

In some abandoned shack Dean was sitting on the floor staring at Sam's dead body, thoughts colliding in his mind as he watched over his brother. Sammy was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. DEAD! It went through Dean's mind a single thought time and time again. He couldn't protect his baby brother. The promise made to their dad broken. Dad's dying wish unfulfilled. He wasn't strong enough or fast enough and he failed.

While he was watching his dead brother, Bobby came with bucket of chicken.

"Dean?" said the older hunter's voice behind a grieving Dean. But the elder Winchester didn't even turn around.

"No thanks. I'm fine."

Bobby lets out tired sigh. "You should eat something."

Dean filches impenitently. "I've said I'm fine."

Bobby put the bucket on the floor and got nearer. "Dean I hate to bring this up, I really do. But don't you think maybe it's time we bury Sam."

"No." Comes resolute answer from sitting man.

Bobby let out a more audible sigh than before. "We could, ...maybe..."

"What? Torch his corpse? Not yet." Dean shakes his head, repeating. "Not yet, not just yet"

"I want you to go with me." Bobby shifted so that he could see the younger man's expression. Who would have thought that he would come to care for Jon's sons so much like they were his own. Now one was dead and the other, the other worried him. He was worried for Dean, worried that the idiot would do something stupid.

"I'm not going anywhere." Oh yes Bobby could see it now, that damnable Winchester block-hardness rearing up.

"Dean, please." Bobby implored.

That only made the younger man snap irritably. "Would you cut me some slack?"

Bobby shifted his eyes away from Dean, not looking him directly in the eye. "I just don't think you should be alone, that's all. I've gotta admit. I could use your help." Ignoring the boys snort. He continues. " Something big is going down, end of the world big."

Dean turns to the older man "Well, then let it end!" he shouts.

Bobby let out a tired sigh, regarding the brothers. "You don't mean that."

"You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, turn around, and get the hell out of here."

Then he shouts at the top of his lungs.

"GO!"

But calms down when he notices the pained expression on the bearded face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, just go. "

Bobby gives the barest of nods, excepting the apology. "You know where I'll be."

He turns his back on Dean and leaves the abandoned shack. Dean takes another look at Sam's body with tears trailing from his eyes, down across his cheek, down to his chin and then finally dropping on the floor.

In to the night, nearing the crossing of roads, an Impala engine revving, driving recklessly Dean suddenly reaches his destination, slams on the breaks and stops on a dirt road. Exiting the car he holds a box containing several items, including a photo ID of himself. He buries the box in the middle of a crossroads. Several seconds pass in silence as Dean looks right and left.

"Oh come on already." He grumbles impatiently then draws a deep breath and shouts out. "Show your face, you bitch!"

Suddenly a beautiful dark haired woman with baby blue eyes in a black cocktail dress appears smirking

"Easy there sugar, you'll wake the neighbours. Dean. It's so, so good to see you." She walks around him inhaling sharply. "I mean it. Look at you. Gone and got your family killed. All alone in the world. It's too sweet. Excuse me, you're gonna have to give me a moment. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the roses." She finishes with a flirtatious smile at the hunter.

"I should send you straight back to hell." Dean bites out through clenched teeth, his finger nails digging in to his callused hands.

Which only makes the demon smirk at him. "Oh, you should. But you won't. And I know why". She walks around him again, her hips swaying making the dress swish around her legs.

"Oh yeah?" Dean widens his eyes innocently.

The demon smile grows wider. "Yeah. Following in Daddy's footsteps. You wanna make a deal. Little Sammy back from the dead, and let me guess you're offering up your own soul? "

"There are a hundred other demons who'd love to get their hands on it. And it's all yours. And all you got to do is bring Sam back. And give me ten years- ten years, and then you come for me".

The demon lets out a thrilling laugh "You must be joking."

Dean frowns. "That's the same deal you give everybody else."

"You're not everybody else." She leans in whispering in Dean's ear. "Why would I want to give you anything? Keep your gutter soul. It's too tarnished, anyway. "

"Nine years."

"No."

"Eight."

"You keep going, I'll keep saying no." she smiled at him.

Dean was desperate now, this has to work it has to. He promised dad to take care of Sammy.

"Okay, five years. Five years, and my bill comes due. That's my last offer- five years or no deal."

The demon makes a show of leaning over for the kiss, then smiles a hairsbreadth away from Deans lips. "Then no deal."

"Fine."

"Fine." She repeats turning on her inch heal and walking away. "Make sure you bury Sam before he starts stinking up the joint."

"Wait!" Dean shouted after the departing crossroads demon.

She stops and whispers softly. "It's a fire sale, and everything must go."

"What do I have to do?" dean finally asks, giving in.

She turns her head watching Dean from the corner of her eyes, internally laughing in triumph for bringing the Winchester to his knees.

"First of all, quit grovelling. Needy guys are such a turnoff." She sighs dramatically.

"Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Dean. You're like a...puppy. You're just too fun to play with. I'll do it."

Dean's head shoots up. "You'll bring him back? "

"I will. And because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year. And one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and Welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Sam drops dead. He's back to rotten meat in no time. So... it's a better deal than your dad ever got. What do you say?"

Dean grabs the demon and goes in to kissing the deal, when a fist connects with his chin that sends him sprawling to the ground

"No deal," said a woman's voice.

Dean rubs his jaw and looks up to see a blond woman standing in front of shocked crossroads demon.

"Hey Barbie what are..." Dean glares at the hot blonde standing by a hot glaring brunette. Who hisses at the blond, her eyes bleeding in to red.

"Stop interfering human..."

At that the blonde rolled her eyes at the demon's display. Then she looks toward Dean, completely ignoring the brunette.

"OK firstly" she says taping her index finger with her other hand, sea blue green eyes boring in to Dean's. "This deal you are trying to make with the wannabe demon is invalid, considering Samuel Winchester has made a deal with somebody else, by the way." At that she briskly turns and addresses the demon standing only two steps away from her.

"Demon girl you might wanna scram before Sebby arrives, cuz I really don't wanna see a lip lock between my hubby and you." Then she stiffened and covered her eyes with her hand with muttered "too late."

And before Dean could become shocked, leaves swirled and a man dropped by the two women gracefully, a man who was holding a shocked, ALIVE Sam, bridal style. Said man put Sam on the ground and then swiftly, in one fluid motion, locked lips with crossroads demon.

After a couple of seconds the black dressed woman fell to the ground looking dazzled. Looking around she started shivering her blue eyes wide with fright.

"Where am I?" she asked looking around fearfully.

The man, who just a moment ago, locked lips with her, raised his right arm over his heart and gave a slight bow, black bangs sliding forward and his eyes closed. The appearance of a well dressed, handsome stranger made the woman on the ground flush and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I am sorry to say my lady but you were in some kind of accident. And we were wondering if we could offer some assistance?" he said still bowing down.

"Um..." came the frustrated reply.

"Don't worry. We'll help you out" The blonde woman, that was quiet till then stepped forward and kneeled down besides the frightened brunette. Then the blonde reach out and pulled the taller woman to her feet.

Smiling slightly the blonde extended her hand, "Since we apparently will be sharing a car ride my name is Buffy Anne," then she waved in the man's direction, "and this is my husband Sebastian Michaelis. Those two behind him are Dean and Sam Winchester. We are please to meet you."

_To be continued..._

AN; Regarding demons and their diferencess in Buffy,Black Butler and Supernatural. While in Black Butler there is only one breed of demons as well as in Supernatural (human souls converted, they posess people as a black smoke, there IS a fallen angel Lucifer who made first demon, Lilith, who started as a human soul that he tourtued)_, _in the BtVS demons came in all shapes and sizes, but they have thir own bodys. _  
><em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Back in time, the wheel turns **

**Disclaimer**: Some of dialogue is taken from episodes Smashed, Wrecked and Dead things.

* * *

><p><strong>20 November, 2001<strong>**Sunnydale****California**

It was a warm November night that found Buffy patrolling the streets of Sunnydale. Stumbling on a married couple being mugged, she intervened only to discover that muggers had been human and not vampires. Picking up the woman's purse that was on the ground, she gave it back to the frightened woman and told the couple to run.

The husband and wife ran off while one of the muggers attacked Buffy who blocked his punch, grabbing his wrist to hold him still she then punched him in the face with enough force to make him see stars or birds, she grabbed his arm and twisted it around behind him. She held him there while she kicked the other one who was charging her making him fly backwards.

Buffy watched the second mugger get up. "Come on, rush me. It'll be funny." She taunted the man with a flat voice, not really feeling the fun she once did…in anything really, just numbness.

The second mugger was about to rush her, his face contorted in anger at the small chit who just taunted him and prevented him from earning his livelihood when a bleach blond jumped in to the fray yelling something that sounded like a battle cry.

"Yaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

He only had eyes for violence so Buffy's warning to stop fell on deaf ears as a chipped Vampire punched the mugger who was sent flying in to the wall and then fell forward in to a pile of boxes. Unfortunately, the mugger was human and the chip impaired the neutered one. He grabbed his head screaming, cursing, and rolling around in the pile of boxes clutching his head in pain.

Buffy meanwhile let go of the mugger she was holding and watched as he ran off, leaving his friend lying in that pile of boxes. Buffy directed her gaze to the vampire who, at that moment, was getting up, still holding is head.

"What? I thought they were demons." A gritted question was asked from the vampire.

Buffy shrugged and then smirked at him, "Way to go Spike what keen observances', Jessica Fletcher."

Spike glared at the blond. "Remind me not to help you." He grumbled.

Buffy's smirk stretched into a full blown mocking smile. "More often?"

Spike makes a woe is me, I am a wounded puppy face "Hey. Little sympathy for the bloke with the migraine here, can we? You'd think if the government was gonna put a chip in my head, they'd at least make it so I could attack criminals and that sort."

Buffy snorts. "Yes, because muggers deserve to be eaten." That comment caused Spike to give her a sour look.

"Just have to get your rocks off fighting demons." She continues.

Spike wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "There are other ways." He purred and came closer while Buffy retreated a step.

"And to that an extreme 'see you later.'" She says and turns around walking away. Being around Spike was dangerous, because as much as she was loath to admit it he made her feel, even if it was self disgust, or anger, or dare she say it lust, it was something that filled the void she felt since her resurrection.

Spike walks after her smirking. "Oy Buffy." He called after her.

Don't stop, don't stop she thinks but just as the thought forms, she stops waiting. Then she lets out a sigh and turns around. Any feeling is better than nothing, right?

"Spike ... it's late, okay, can we just finish this another time?" maybe he would give up and leave her alone, give her time to mount a stronger defence or ….

Spike walks closer still wearing that cocky smirk. "Oh, so you wanna jump right to the kissing then, eh?"

So much for giving her some time. "I am not kissing you, Spike. Once was…"

"Twice," Spike adds smugly interrupting her.

"But not again." She finished and turnd away again, she began walking. But Spike was not finished with her as he walked behind her and started talking.

"You're a tease, you know that, Slayer? Get a fella's motor revving, let the tension marinate a couple-a days, and then bam! Crown yourself the ice queen."

Buffy rolled her eyes and walking away, tossed back at him. "You need a few more metaphors for that little mix. "

She walked off. Spike stayed where he was in the alley, yelling after her. "It's only a matter of time before you realize I'm the only one here for you, pet. You got no one else! "

Buffy stopped. "You really seem awfully fixated on a couple of kisses, Spike."

"And you seem awfully quick to forget about them." He said and walked closer. He stopped right behind her and at that point she turned to him face him.

"Look. I'm sorry, okay? I'm-I'm sorry if you thought that it meant more."

"But..." Spike probed and amused at her nervous babble.

"But ... when I kissed you ... you know I was thinking about Giles, right?" she continues peering at him.

"You know, I always wondered about you two." he comments and lights a cigarette.

"What?" Buffy squeaks then makes a face." Oh, gross, Spike! He left. I was depressed. Ergo vulnerable and, and bad kissing decisions. Okay, but, that's all that it was. You have to let it go."

Spike was smirking down at her yet again. "Did it work?" he asks.

"What?"

"You trying to convince yourself?"

"Please, stop. "She turned and started walking again. Spike followed after her.

"A man can change." He comments.

She again stops walking and faces him. "But you're not a man. You're a vampire. A soulless one." She adds the last part stressing on soulless the turns away again. Spike frowns and reaches out with his hand and grabs her shoulder.

"Stop walking away."

Buffy shrugs off his hand with hissed "Don't touch me!" but Spike doesn't listen and grabs her shoulder again and as he turns her around Buffy uses the momentum to punch him with her other arm. He pulls back and backhands her sending Buffy falling to the ground.

Looking up at Spike, promising herself that she will give him a good whack up the side of the head for that backhand; her blood runs cold as she sees the surprise on Spike's face. He doesn't pay attention to her when he puts his hand tentatively to his head with the beginning of a smile.

Buffy quickly looks down, preparing to defend herself as she gets to her feet. But then she hears Spike yell, looking up he is clutching his head as if he is in pain.

Buffy gets up, watching Spike warily, she knows he is acting, but he is not that great of an actor. She decides to play it along to buy some time to warn her friends that Spike's chip is not working, she backhands Spike and he goes down. He gets up to a kneeling position with his back to Buffy and stays there, looking at the ground. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Don't follow me Spike." She says and walks away. Spike lifts his head to watch her go. Slowly an evil grin spreads across his face. Turning a corner Buffy waits a while, and then climbs on the roof, determent to tail the vampire. To see what's he is up too.

The next day Tara opened her door to admit her very distraught friend, who with quiet hello sits down on the offered couch and fiddles with her hands nervously and rubbing her wrist. Watching her for a moment Tara's concern grows. Then she sits on a chair facing Buffy.

"Is it bad?" she asks watching Buffy wince and forcefully takes her hands apart.

"I was hoping you could tell me that part." Taking her breath Buffy steeled her nerves and looked Tara directly in the eye. "It's Spike. He can hurt me, without his head exploding."

Tara sucks in a breath. "Oh my god." She whispers, her eyes wide. "Hi-his chip stopped working?"

But Buffy shakes her head. "No the chip still works. After his oh so obviously fake acting that it hurt after he hit me… I, I followed him and he attacked someone and his head hurt, so… it still works, just not on me." A pause a deep shaking breath "I…I need to know about the spell. The one that...brought me back. I…I'd ask Willow, but... I-I think...maybe...I came back wrong."

Tara stands up and walks over to Buffy sitting next to her and grabbed Buffy's shaking hands.

"Are you certain?" she asks looking at the other blond who is currently studying her floor.

"I don't know. I feel...different. There are things...Can you check out the spell? Just see if there's something that...Could you just check? Please?"

"All right." Tara nods, Buffy smiles and stands up, preparing to leave. But Tara's next words stop her.

"But you are staying here till I do."

"I have to...patrol. And Dawn"

"Sunnydale will survive for a night Buffy. Xander, Anya and Willow are in your house, don't worry about Dawn. You just rest here; what's more I think you need it."

"I can't sleep."

"Oh," Tara smiled. "Then wait a moment I'll give you something to help you sleep."

Buffy nodded and sat back down, while Tara put a pot on the stove to make a calming tea.

A couple of hours later Buffy woke up, and for a moment not knowing where she was. Then the memories come back and she sat.

"Oh you are awake" came Tara's voice from behind. Buffy turned to see Tara standing by the closet holding…a deck of tarot cards.

Tara smiled and walked to the chair by the bed where Buffy was just sleeping soundly a moment ago.

"Did you sleep well?" At Buffy's nod Tara smiled "I knew that tea would help you, in more ways than one." She spread Tarot cards on the table. "I would like you to choose one card please."

"Will that help you figure out what's wrong with me?"

"No, that will help you get better." Came the replay.

Buffy's eyes drop. "So there is something wrong with me."

Tara shook her head. "I-I've double checked everything. But...you are different. Shifting you out of...f-f-from where you were...funneling your essence back into your body...I-it, it altered you on a basic molecular level. Probably just enough to confuse the sensors or whatever is in Spike's chip. But it's all just surface physical stuff. It wouldn't have any more effect than a bad sunburn."

"But?"

"Pick a card Buffy, and I w-will explain further. Please Buffy." Tara implored.

Buffy nodded then picked a card out of the pile and handed it to Tara. Tara flipped it over then added 2 other cards.

Then she smiled. "I thought a-as much." She muttered triumphantly.

"What?"

"Well like I said you did not come back wrong, just different. But you can get better." Then she shot her fellow blond a look. "W-when you drank the tea that I made you I looked at the residue leaves, a-and you should learn magic."

"What me, magic, b-but that's Willow's thing and yours, I-I just hit stuff." Stuttered Buffy, not being able to wrap her mind around the concept.

"And by j-just thinking and saying that means you really should learn magic, you have already chosen your patron goddess, a-and I'll be teaching you."

"What about Willow….?"

"This is not about Willow, this is about you reaching inner balance, and don't you think that you should do things that would help you. You said that you felt different, that's one of the ways to fix that. Unless you think that you can reach any sort of peace via Spike's help." Tara said sternly.

Buffy's eyes widened at Tara's tone. And she reluctantly nodded. "uh hu OK, so patron goddess?"

Tara lifted the card Buffy chose and showed it to her. Buffy took the card and looked at it in the design of the card which showed a golden haired, beautiful Goddess surrounded by cats. She wore a falcon feather cloak. Encircling her neck is a fire necklace.

"This is Freya." She said. At Buffy's incomprehensive look she elaborated further." She is the Daughter of Time, and the Supreme Goddess of the Northern Mysteries, mistress of the inner seith-fire and the religion of Wikkerie as well as the patroness of witches and of women who attain wisdom, status, and power, since the Valkyries had been ordinary women, then priestesses, and after being Valkyr became Norns, the Great Goddesses who weave the fates and histories of people and of nations. That necklace of fire is "the jewel, whose power cannot be resisted," Brisingamen, Brising meaning fire, Freya is quite independent, being chief of the Valkyries, the demi-goddesses. "

The weeks passed from the conversation Tara had with Buffy, and she was now a budding Priestess of Wikkerie, or a witch, and was finally ready to face her patron goddess.

Buffy sat in the middle of a pentagram at each of five points there were objects associated with Freya; smoky-quartz, fire-agate, amber, feather of a falcon and a tuff of Lynx hair. And all around in the circle candles burned merrily. Tara was sitting across from Buffy, Indian style, mashing herbs in to orange–red paste, and then she shaped a cen rune on Buffy's forehead.

As soon as the last stoke of the Tara's finger Buffy closed her eyes and ….

_She was dancing, twirling in the __forest, green__ leaves waving around her, a small cat with a coat of warm reddish-brown with almond shaped green eyes, a falcon flying overhead and from a tree a Lynx jumped from one branch to the other._

_The grass was so thick and soft like the finest Persian rug, a kind that her grandmother owned while she lived. _

_I wonder what happened to that rug, a stray and strange thought. "There are no strange thoughts here, child." Came a melodic voice behind her, Buffy turned around and … _

To be continued….


End file.
